faithful

[ feyth-fuhl ]

adjective

1. true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.
2. steady in allegiance or affection; loyal; constant:

   faithful friends.

   Synonyms: staunch, devoted, true

3. reliable, trusted, or believed.
4. strict or thorough in the performance of duty:

   a faithful worker.

5. adhering or true to fact, a standard, or an original; accurate:

   a faithful account;

   a faithful copy.

   Synonyms: exact, precise

6. Obsolete. full of faith; believing.

noun

1. the faithful,
   1. the believers, especially members of a Christian church or adherents of Islam.
   2. the body of loyal members of any party or group.

faithful

/ ˈfeɪθfʊl /

adjective

1. having faith; remaining true, constant, or loyal
2. maintaining sexual loyalty to one's lover or spouse
3. consistently reliable

   a faithful worker

4. reliable or truthful

   a faithful source

5. accurate in detail

   a faithful translation

noun

1. the faithful
   the faithful
   1. the believers in and loyal adherents of a religious faith, esp Christianity
   2. any group of loyal and steadfast followers

Derived Forms

• ˈfaithfully, adverb
• ˈfaithfulness, noun

Other Words From

• faith·ful·ly adverb
• faith·ful·ness noun
• o·ver·faith·ful adjective
• pseu·do·faith·ful adjective
• qua·si-faith·ful adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of faithful¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; faith, -ful

Synonym Study

Faithful, constant, loyal imply qualities of stability, dependability, and devotion. Faithful implies long-continued and steadfast fidelity to whatever one is bound to by a pledge, duty, or obligation: a faithful friend. Constant suggests firmness and steadfastness in attachment: a constant affection. Loyal implies unswerving allegiance to a person, organization, cause, or idea: loyal to one's associates, one's country.

Example Sentences

It is for the most part extremely faithful to the original narrative of Solomon Northup, which I had taught in my class for years before the movie came out.

From Time

He’d been sober for 25 years, he said, and faithful to his wife.

From ProPublica

At Friday prayers at the Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, the faithful often hold up portraits of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish president, worshipping under the gleaming gold crescent on the Dome of the Rock that was paid for by Turkey.

From Ozy

Another is that the square was designed to aid the faithful in contemplation, by providing a reminder of the presence of God.

From Vox

That said, they may have one option to rally both the Republican faithful and a few swing voters.

From FiveThirtyEight

It was a very faithful homage to a Six Million Dollar Man episode.

From The Daily Beast

What matters is being honest, humble, and a faithful and loyal friend, father and member of your community.

From The Daily Beast

If history is a guide, Huckabee will need to resonate with more than just the faithful if he is to win.

From The Daily Beast

But she soldiered on to the end, a loving and faithful companion in victory and defeat.

From The Daily Beast

At every turn, they described their son as a faithful follower who had dedicated his life to easing the suffering of innocents.

From The Daily Beast

The word of the law shall be fulfilled without a lie, and wisdom shall be made plain in the mouth of the faithful.

From Project Gutenberg

At sight of this generous enemy, this faithful friend, how could he restrain the grateful impulse to fling himself into his arms!

From Project Gutenberg

To save his faithful servant Frank wheeled Nejdi, and cut down a native who was lunging at Chumru with a bayonet.

From Project Gutenberg

It went hard with him to slaughter the faithful creature, who knew him, and came towards him at the first sound of his voice.

From Project Gutenberg

Louis turned at the exclamation, and looked on the faithful servant; but no tear was in his eye, no sound on his lip.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• affectionate
• ardent
• conscientious
• dependable
• devoted
• dutiful
• hard-core
• honest
• honorable
• loving
• obedient
• patriotic
• resolute
• scrupulous
• sincere
• staunch
• steadfast
• true
• trustworthy
• trusty